With new lenses getting more expensive all the time, many photographers choose to purchase used gear and save money. While certain lenses can only be bought new (at least for a while), the used lens market is often full of great lens choices, especially for someone on a tighter budget. In this article I will try to explain the benefits of buying used lenses, as well as give you some tips on how to buy used lenses on-location knowing you’ll get a high-quality piece of equipment you will be happy with for years to come.

You can tell by the photos of this book that it went through a lot of use in my hands. Back when I just started learning about wedding photography, I literally slept with this book left on my face. I figured it was only fair enough I added a review of Captured By The Light by David A. Ziser into the small stack of book reviews at Photography Life.

This is a second installment of how you can plan out an engagement session with your wedding clients. The first part of this article How to Photograph Engagement Sessions – Planning was posted a while ago and I thought it would be good to continue where we left off, so that I could jump into the process of photographing the session after that. Please give the above-mentioned article a quick read before reading the second installment below.

Perhaps the best-known hosting website for photographers is SmugMug, a platform that has been around since 2002. SmugMug acts as an online gallery space, letting you display your photos easily and – relatively – inexpensively. I have been using SmugMug exclusively for almost a year, and I have grown very familiar with its range of tools and capabilities. In general, I have been very impressed by SmugMug; for this review, I will cover some of its main uses and features, as well as the positives and negatives of using SmugMug to host your online gallery.

Barring being struck by some incredible bolt of inspiration between now and the end of December (which given my advancing age and rather porous brain is highly unlikely), this will be my final article here on Photography Life in 2015. I’m looking forward to doing periodic postings next year. December is always the time of year that I hunker down and do some planning for next year’s business. During this exercise I am always reminded of the importance of choosing clients well and I’d like to share some considerations with you.

Both Zenfolio and SmugMug are giants in the world of photography hosting websites, and each has its fair share of loyal supporters. I have used each website for more than a year – first Zenfolio, then SmugMug – and the differences between the two became clear over time. In this review, I want to share my experiences and help other photographers choose which site is better for their needs.

The photography world seems to be in an almost endless state of flux these days with a plethora of new cameras and lenses popping up in the market like mushrooms after a rain. Debates rage about the future of various brands, technologies and camera formats as folks share their often hard-edged opinions. This certainly is a tumultuous time to consider new photography gear, whether one is an amateur or a working professional. My old, tired brain has been in overdrive lately with thoughts about the potential financial impacts of some of these issues. So, I thought I’d share these mental meanderings with readers.

As photographers who regularly visit photography web sites and blogs, we all seem to be driven by very personal commitments to learn new things and to improve. Over the years I’ve been using my own ‘rule of thirds’ – not as a composition technique – but as an approach to help me direct my own development efforts when it comes to photography. As is often said, “So much to learn, and so little time!” Basically my “rule of thirds” focuses on three factors that are always involved when creating images and can also help guide our development as photographers:

If I was to be completely honest about encouraging people about setting out on a career in wildlife photography, I feel these days I could sum it up in two words. ‘Forget it!’ Having said that, I do not take rejection of article ideas well, I am poor at self-promotion and I am not brilliant at keeping my agents supplied with my latest images. Finally, I do not keep up to date with all of the latest camera bodies which produce superior image quality compared to the old Canon EOS 1D Mk2 I am still using for my wildlife pictures and the Canon EOS 5D Mk2 that I use for landscapes.

Instagram is my favorite social networking tool for my wedding photography business. If you are not utilizing it for business purposes, you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity. I often connect with wedding professionals on Instagram – wedding planners, florists, calligraphers, venues, dress shops, you name it! It has been wonderful for creating buzz and spreading the word about my business.